HF 4965

04/08/26   REVISOR  BD/MI  26-08284
This Document can be made available
in alternative formats upon request  State of Minnesota
  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
  H. F. No.   4965
04/13/2026     Authored by Smith and Schultz
  The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Agriculture Finance and Policy
1.1A bill for an act
1.2relating to food safety; requiring the commissioner of health and commissioner of
1.3agriculture to develop a proposal for the regulation of itinerant food sales in the
1.4state; requiring a report; appropriating money.
1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.6Section 1. PROPOSAL FOR REGULATION OF ITINERANT FOOD SALES.
1.7(a) For purposes of this section, "itinerant food sales" means the sale of food, including
1.8beverages, from an establishment that does not have a permanent location and that is movable
1.9from place to place. Itinerant food sales include but are not limited to operations conducted
1.10from a food cart, mobile foot unit, seasonal temporary food stand, special event food stand,
1.11or other vehicle, cart, or portable structure. An itinerant food sales establishment may be
1.12motorized or nonmotorized and may operate for a limited or extended time period at a
1.13location, provided that the establishment is not permanently affixed to the site.
1.14(b) The commissioner of health and commissioner of agriculture, in consultation with
1.15all community health boards and local entities with delegated authority from the
1.16commissioner of health or commissioner of agriculture for food regulation, and with
1.17Minnesota's 11 federally recognized, sovereign Tribal Nations with food regulatory authority
1.18on Tribal land, must develop a simplified proposal to regulate itinerant food sales in
1.19Minnesota. The proposal must eliminate the duplicative regulation of business operators
1.20by the state and municipalities and must ensure continued consumer safety through food
1.21safety inspections and enforcement in all areas of Minnesota subject to the state's jurisdiction.
1.22(c) The proposal must include:
Section 1.  1
04/08/26   REVISOR  BD/MI  26-08284
2.1      (1) a conceptual description of how public health efforts will be coordinated among the
2.2  relevant food safety authorities;
2.3      (2) changes to Minnesota Statutes that are needed to implement the proposal;
2.4      (3) a fiscal analysis showing predicted budgetary impacts of the proposal on food
2.5  regulatory agencies; and
2.6      (4) a description of the actions needed for implementation and related timelines for
2.7  implementation.
2.8      (d) No later than January 1, 2027, the commissioner of health and commissioner of
2.9  agriculture must submit a report on the proposal to the chairs and ranking minority members
2.10 of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health and agriculture.
2.11   Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; PROPOSAL FOR REGULATION OF ITINERANT
2.12 FOOD SALES.
2.13     $95,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
2.14 of health for the commissioner of health and commissioner of agriculture, in consultation
2.15 with stakeholders, to develop a proposal for the regulation of itinerant food sales in the
2.16 state. This is a onetime appropriation.
Sec. 2.  2